Thoughts from a Yellow Dog Democrat living in Olympia, in the great BLUE state of Washington

I am a liberal because it is the political philosophy of freedom and equality. And I am a progressive because it is the political path to a better future. And I am a Democrat because it is the political party that believes in freedom, equality and progress.
-- Digby

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

McCain

Paid McCain spokesmen keep saying on news programs that McCain doesn't speak for "the campaign". What are they talking about?? If McCain isn't the campaign, WHO is running for president on the Republican ticket?? This is soo weird!!

This morning on Fox, Tucker Bounds said McCain doesn't speak for the campaign on the topic as to whether the option of increasing taxes on social security is on the table to solving the SSI shortfall. McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin responded yesterday to the discrepancies between McCain's public assurances on economic proposals and those posed by others in the campaign: Holtz-Eakin said that McCain’s public statements are not necessarily “official” policy. Then Sunday McCain said he supports a state constitutional amendment to ban affirmative action and again Tucker Bounds said this does not reflect the campaign's policy. Finally while trying to distance McCain from his “econ brain” Phil Gramm’s “nation of whiners” comment, Holtz-Eakin declared that on policy issues, “Senator McCain speaks for Senator McCain.”

What IS McCain, a candidate or a symbol? Maybe he's a faux-candidate. If you are a Republican, who do you believe -- the faux-candidate or the men behind the curtains?